black bean - chocolate - coconut cookies

these are definitely a don't-knock'em-till-you-try-them type of thing. you would never know there are black beans in these... oh my goodness are they delicious!! they are more like a brownie bite than a cookie, but decadent none the less. easily adaptable to other flavor combinations too - try nuts, or dried fruit, or maybe some spicy cayenne pepper to liven things up. not to mention, they are extremely simple!

black bean - chocolate - coconut cookies

3 cups cooked black beans, drained

4 tablespoons coconut oil

2/3 cup dark cocoa powder

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

2/3 cup brown rice syrup (or 100% maple syrup or honey)

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2/3 cup dark chocolate bar or baking chocolate, shaved or chopped into small chunks

1/2 cup large unsweetened coconut flakes + extra for sprinkling

in a food processor or blender, combine all ingredients except the chocolate and coconut flakes. blend until smooth. the texture should be wet but not soupy. fold in the chocolate and coconut flakes. spoon about 1-2 tablespoons of the mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. sprinkle each cookie with extra coconut flakes. bake at 375 for 15 minutes or until the edges of the cookies and coconut start to brown. serve warm! to be honest, these cookies are best straight out of the oven and don't make the best leftover if stored in a tupperware. instead, freeze the cookies in single layers between sheets of wax paper. when you want some cookies, heat the oven to 350 and bake for 5 minutes until warm again. sure, a little more work on your part, but entirely worth the extra effort to enjoy these cookies warm!

thai red curry

jonathan and i aren't huge celebrators of valentines day, but we were fortunate enough to have the evening off together to enjoy a home-cooked meal of thai food! i always order curry at thai restaurants, and especially love red coconut curries! but when we eat out, i sometimes feel gypped on the amount of veggies you get in a serving of curry or am disappointed by some unknown 'vegetarian meat' bobbing around my curry when i clearly ordered tofu!!! (can you tell this has happened to me more than once?) so, not only did this make leftovers for lunches and dinners, but i found my ideal ratio of veggies to tofu and soupy curry. vuala!...

1 onion, diced

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons red curry paste (thai kitchen brand is great!)

3/4 teaspoon turmeric

3/4 teaspoon coriander

3/4 teaspoon salt

two 14 oz cans of full fat or light coconut milk *

8 oz vegetable stock

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 cubic inch fresh ginger, grated

3 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash

2 carrots, thinly sliced at an angle

2 cups crimini mushrooms, quartered

1 small bunch broccoli

1 bell pepper, any color

1 package of silken tofu **

2 tablespoons brown sugar (optional)

sriracha thai hot sauce (optional)

1 lime, cut into wedges for juicing

cilantro or green onions, trimmed for garnish

2 cups rice (brown, red, white, wild, what have you) - steam as directed

in a large soup pot, saute onion in oil for about 5 minutes until translucent. then add garlic, curry paste and spice to cook one minute longer. add coconut milk, stock, fish sauce, ginger, salt and maybe some sugar and simmer covered for about 15 minutes to meld all the flavors together. begin adding vegetables according to cook time: first the carrots and squash, letting them get a 5 minute head start, then add mushrooms and broccoli for a few minutes. lastly, add bell pepper and tofu for the final 3-5 minutes. let sit to cool a bit before serving over steamed rice. garnish with a lime wedge and fresh herbs and sriracha hot sauce on the side.

*full fat coconut milk is what i was used to getting when ordering out.... it will make for a milder curry with wonderfully balance flavor. if you use light coconut milk, you might want to add a bit of sugar to your recipe to help balance the spicy flavors, otherwise the broth will remain fairly spicy (which i enjoyed, but jonathan prefers his curry more mild)

**i like fresh silken tofu in my curry. but some people prefer fried tofu in their thai curry ... this adds a few steps and a few extra dishes, but is simple to do. just opt for firm tofu and fry cubes in a few tablespoons of vegetable oil. drain over paper towels, and add to soup at the same point as the bell peppers.

lunch as usual. kale and rice.

this isn't the most glamorous posting. in fact, it may be the simplest post here. what i eat for lunch most days, consists of two main ingredients: kale and rice. boring? i never tire of it! i mix things up each day, topping things off with extra veggies or a protein. but these two simple ingredients are so healthful, fulfilling and oh so satisfying.

i take a small bunch of kale, wash it, tear off the leafy greens and discard the majority of the stalk. then i massage the kale. yes, massage. to do so, sprinkle a few grains of course sea salt a bowl with your torn kale. then, use your palms and fingers to massage and squeeze the kale for about 2-5 minutes. this will release a little bit of water so either strain it or pat dry with a towel. the purpose of massaging your kale, is to break down some of the cell walls - making it easier to digest like cooked greens but without loosing any of the nutrients of the raw food. it will also condense your kale - like wilted spinach - making it a little less intimidating to serve yourself an entire bunch of kale for a meal! from there, i like to add a cup of warm rice - maybe brown rice, or try some red or wild rice to mix things up! the warm rice goes perfectly with the massaged kale, but you could also make a cold kale and rice salad if you prefer.

i typically dress my kale and rice salad with rather hippie accompaniments like:

2 tablespoons gluten free tamari (reduced sodium)

2 tablespoons brown rice vinegar (unseasoned)

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes - as seed in the jar marked 'grow forth'

1/2 teaspoon aleppo turkish red chili flakes - my favorite

1 teaspoon roasted sesame oil or 1 teaspoon sesame seeds or both

other things i like to throw in:

1/2 cup boiled green soy beans

or 1 serving of tempeh, fried

or 1 fried egg

or 2 oz baked fish

and maybe...

1/4 cup kimchi, pickled cabbage

or korean hot sauce

or sweet peppers

or cucumbers

or avocado

go wild. build your rice and kale salad however you like. experiment. and enjoy.